Dark Eyes
by Razer Athane
Summary: She isn’t like him, or you. He bottles up the guilt. You bottle up the rage. He is selfless. You are selfish. He has her heart. You have nothing. -Oneshot-


Disclaimer: If I owned Soul Calibur, I would also, by default, own Tekken. –dreams on wistfully-

Author's Note: Isn't it strange how two words inspire a story? Like seriously. I was talking with one of my friends and in her sentence somewhere she said 'dark eyes'. Then I realised that I was listening to a DBSK song called 'Darkness Eyes'. Then I laughed. And then _immediately, _this whole story came up o_o Lolllll. Enjoy! :D

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**DARK EYES**

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You can see it in the darkness of his eyes.

He walks by you, not even giving you a sidewards glance. Not a hint of emotion crawls into his face. He just keeps walking, straight ahead, in a perfect line. He passes through the crowds of people and leaves nothing behind. No footstep, no trauma, nothing – like a ghost. And as many other seemingly lidless-eyes stare after him, just like you, you _all _know that he is a man on a mission. His resolve cannot be swayed.

With every step he takes, a light blue pendant swings around his neck. It glitters in the dull sunlight, and in that instant that you look at it, it seemingly symbolises hope. Hope for you and the rest of your village. Hope for him and his quest. Hope for others who are on the same quest as him. Hope for all those who have suffered at the hands of this cruel evil.

He's suffered from it too. If the scar on his face isn't anything to go by, then perhaps the despair in his rich, brown orbs will make it obvious. Day in and day out, memories plague him feverishly, to the point where he's not even sure if he is himself anymore. Night after night, in his horrid dreams, he sees crimson red liquid bleed out onto the ground he stands before; and he hears a multitude of screams in different sections of the scale behind him.

Yet still, through thick and thin, by his side is his loyal companion. She is the opposite of him. Always smiling, laughing, yet still unquestioningly focused on her goal. In his time of need, she is there, patting him on the shoulder, saying that it was only a nightmare. She embodies everything that is light in his dull world. She is that tiny glimmer of hope for him, because he keeps _none_ for himself. She is the little glint in his dark eyes.

In a world of opposites, he is the night sky, and she is the moon.

Sometimes, though, there is no moon in the sky. You have seen it yourself, various times, whether you are idly gazing out the cabin window on your ship, or you are out in the port, happily drunk. And in this instant, as you stand amongst a crowd, you are nothing but a blade of grass in a field. You watch in silence as he leaves the village to his impending doom… as the night sky carries on without light. As he turns away from the only hope that is left for him.

She calls his name. Her voice is like a song, as the world is carried through the icy cold winds, and to the man leaving the village. The word does reach him, yet he doesn't turn. He doesn't acknowledge her. He ignores her, brushes her aside, even after her constant friendship. Yet it seems that this is a common exchange, as she is not phased by it.

With his staff in hand, he is now well out of sight. His blue garments are no longer visible, shining underneath the nearby torches. You look to the girl, who is contemplating whether to run after him or to stay here. She is left behind, as always. He says it is for her own good. She doesn't care, yet she obeys for a while anyway, until she cracks and moves after him. You know this. You've been with them for a long time too, but where as they seek to destroy the cursed sword, you simply want revenge against a monstrosity, for the harm he has done you and the lives you could not save.

She looks to you briefly, biting her lip. Her light eyes bear deep into yours, seeing your own concern. He's done this before, yet even you don't understand some things. Yes, you understand why he left, but… Why does he always insist on doing something so great on his own? In the darkness of night, some form of luminosity will be needed. One cannot walk around blinded, stumbling through the area with their bare hands, clinging to surfaces. Is he angry or just stupid?

And without speaking, she says to you, _what lies in his soul is valour._

Because through those times that shaped him, he kept going. The world behind his dark eyes, although ghastly, shaped him into the dedicated man he is now. Now hardened, he enshrouded himself in mystery in hopes of keeping everyone away. In the silence of the night, he would do his job, and the chaos in the world would cease. And then he would slip back to his hiding place, watching as the world moved on.

In the darkness of his eyes, he sees his task. The task that overshadows yours in the contest for her. Your task is respected too, however the admiration for his is greater. As you lay down your nunchakus, almost ready to give up your search, he reaches for his staff and moves towards his goal, leaving behind his moon. Because, although it provides light, it hinders him too. If she came along, he would be more worried about her than about his goal. She thinks because she gets in the way. _You _know, however, that it's because he's keeping her safe.

Tears are forming, and she moves to run. Your hand darts out, grabbing her slender wrist. Her skin is smooth beneath your work worn hand. She looks at you, questioning your intent. The rest of the people also look in your direction, and you simply shake your head, looking at the tower that he is going to climb all by himself. Such a long way to go, yet the goal is so, so close.

She tugs at her hand, desperately trying to get out of your grasp, still looking at you. And without speaking, she says to you, _if you don't let me go, he'll be killed. Blinded by his guilt, he'll not pay attention to his own injuries or where he's going, even after he destroys Soul Edge. I need to be there! He needs to see the light!_

And you look back, silent, _You don't need to be there. In the darkness of his eyes, you're already the light. You're that tiny glimmer. You're the hope in his heart. Whether or not he's blinded by what he's done, whether or not he cares about his own well being, he _won't die. _He isn't fighting for me. He isn't fighting for any of these villagers here or anywhere else in the world. He's fighting for _you. _And he will come back to _you.

She breaks further and looks down at her petite feet. You pull her close to you and lightly wrap your arms around her, letting her cry out all the things she could never say to him, things that she never heard from him. Her fingers dig into your muscles, her nails almost tearing your tanned skin. But you ignore the pain. You want to comfort her.

She doesn't understand, though. She isn't like him, or you. You both have the dark eyes. Behind them are your secrets and your own nightmares. He dreams of murdering his fellow students. You dream of the monstrosity slaughtering your crew. He bottles up the guilt. You bottle up the rage. He cannot be deterred from his path. Your mind cannot be changed. He is selfless. You are selfish.

He has her heart. You have nothing.

She looks up to you and chokes your name, "Maxi, this isn't fair."

"Nothing in this world is fair, Xianghua," you reply softly.

Your dark eyes unblinking, you and her wait for Kilik.


End file.
